Children of Light: How Electricity Changed Britain Forever

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Technology, Electricity, Engineering, History, British
Cover of the book Children of Light: How Electricity Changed Britain Forever by Gavin Weightman, Atlantic Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gavin Weightman ISBN: 9780857893000
Publisher: Atlantic Books Publication: April 1, 2011
Imprint: Atlantic Books Language: English
Author: Gavin Weightman
ISBN: 9780857893000
Publisher: Atlantic Books
Publication: April 1, 2011
Imprint: Atlantic Books
Language: English

In the early 1870's a nighttime view over Britain would have revealed towns lit by the warm glow of gas and oil lamps and a much darker countryside, the only light emanating from the fiery sparks of late running steam trains. However, by the end of this same decade,Victorian Britons would experience a new brilliance in their streets, town halls, and other public places. Electricity had come to town. In Children of Light, Gavin Weightman brings to life not just the most celebrated electrical pioneers, such as Thomas Edison, but also the men such as Rookes Crompton who lit Henley Regatta in 1879; Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti, a direct descendant of one of the Venetian Doges, who built Britain’s first major power station on the Thames at Deptford; and Anglo–Irish aristocrat, Charles Parsons inventor of the steam turbine, which revolutionized the generating of electricity. Children of Light takes in the electrification of the tramways and the London Underground, the transformation of the home with "labor saving" devices, the vital modernizing of industry during two world wars, and the battles between environmentalists and the promoters of electric power, which began in earnest when the first pylons went up. As Children of Light shows, the electric revolution has brought us luxury that would have astonished the Victorians, but at a price we are still having to pay.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In the early 1870's a nighttime view over Britain would have revealed towns lit by the warm glow of gas and oil lamps and a much darker countryside, the only light emanating from the fiery sparks of late running steam trains. However, by the end of this same decade,Victorian Britons would experience a new brilliance in their streets, town halls, and other public places. Electricity had come to town. In Children of Light, Gavin Weightman brings to life not just the most celebrated electrical pioneers, such as Thomas Edison, but also the men such as Rookes Crompton who lit Henley Regatta in 1879; Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti, a direct descendant of one of the Venetian Doges, who built Britain’s first major power station on the Thames at Deptford; and Anglo–Irish aristocrat, Charles Parsons inventor of the steam turbine, which revolutionized the generating of electricity. Children of Light takes in the electrification of the tramways and the London Underground, the transformation of the home with "labor saving" devices, the vital modernizing of industry during two world wars, and the battles between environmentalists and the promoters of electric power, which began in earnest when the first pylons went up. As Children of Light shows, the electric revolution has brought us luxury that would have astonished the Victorians, but at a price we are still having to pay.

More books from Atlantic Books

Cover of the book Southern Folk Medicine by Gavin Weightman
Cover of the book Beyond the Battleground by Gavin Weightman
Cover of the book Trauma-Proofing Your Kids by Gavin Weightman
Cover of the book The Satsuma Rebellion by Gavin Weightman
Cover of the book Bright Segment by Gavin Weightman
Cover of the book Bright Particular Stars: A Gallery of Glorious British Eccentrics by Gavin Weightman
Cover of the book Healing Massage by Gavin Weightman
Cover of the book The Haumana Hula Handbook for Students of Hawaiian Dance by Gavin Weightman
Cover of the book Tibetan Shamanism by Gavin Weightman
Cover of the book Raw Cookies by Gavin Weightman
Cover of the book Good Sex by Gavin Weightman
Cover of the book Star Sister by Gavin Weightman
Cover of the book Hemispheres by Gavin Weightman
Cover of the book Fascial Release for Structural Balance, Revised Edition by Gavin Weightman
Cover of the book True Secrets of Lesbian Desire by Gavin Weightman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy